Chapter 28 Section 2 Tang Taizong Family Education

Tang Taizong Li Shimin (599-649 A.D.) was an emperor who paid great attention to royal family education in my country's feudal society and made great achievements in family education theory and practice. First of all, Emperor Taizong of Tang established the Palace Museum School, which reformed the educational institutions for the children of the royal family.The establishment of library studies began in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, but there was no essential difference between the library studies in this period and the Taixue in the Han Dynasty. They were mainly educational institutions for scholars from all over the world.The Guanxue established by Tang Taizong was only for the education of the royal children, and there were also schools for the children of non-royal nobles such as Guozixue and Taixue.In this way, he clearly divided the education of royal children and the school education of common people into two different systems.

When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was the King of Qin, he paid attention to cultural studies even though he fought in the south and the north and lived in the open.He opened a literature museum, recruited 18 famous Confucian scholars as museum scholars, and humbly asked them for advice on self-cultivation and governing the country.The 18 scholars are Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Yu Shinan, Chu Liang, Yao Silian, Li Xuandao, Cai Yungong, Xue Yuanjing, Yan Xiangshi, Su Xu (xu continued), Yu Zhining, Zhang Shichang, Xue Mu, Ji Shousu, Lu Deming, Kong Yingda, Gai Wenda and Xu Jingzong were well-known scholars in the late Sui Dynasty and early Tang Dynasty.They got along with Tang Taizong day and night, taught classics and history, discussed world affairs, made suggestions, and made great contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.After Tang Taizong ascended the throne, a Hongwen Museum was set up on the left side of the hall. Scholars were on duty to discuss the changes from the past to the present, and to summarize the experience and lessons learned from the successes and failures of previous emperors.He said: "Using the ancients as a mirror, you can know the ups and downs; using people as a mirror, you can know the gains and losses." In the seventh year of Zhenguan, Tang Taizong ordered Wei Zheng to compile the book "The Good and Evil Records of Princes and Kings Since Ancient Times" as a textbook for royal family education.This book is selected from the success and failure stories caused by the accumulation of good and evil by the gods and princes in history. It is compiled into a volume according to the historical sequence and the two categories of good and evil. It is used to educate the royal descendants to learn from the past and pay attention to moral cultivation.Later, Emperor Taizong of Tang opened the Chongwen Museum.While building the library, Emperor Taizong of Tang ordered Wei Zheng, Yu Shinan, Yan Shigu and others to purchase all books from all over the world, select descendants of the fifth grade or above who were good at calligraphy to copy, and then store them in the royal secretary library for the royal family education.

Since Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty established Guanxue, it has been continuously consolidated and developed as a royal educational institution. The positions of instructors of Guanxue are also held by Yipin Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, Liubu Shangshu, and Prime Minister. The students are all relatives of the royal family, Royal children of empress dowagers and empresses with great achievements and above.During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the collection of library books was so rich that a special academy, that is, a library, was set up in the East Palace.In the Tang Dynasty, there were Lizheng Academy and Jixian Academy, each of which listed four collections of scriptures and history.In terms of teaching materials, Xu Jian and others were ordered to compile "Beginners", and Wu Jing edited them, both of which were used as teaching materials for royal family education.

Secondly, Emperor Taizong of Tang put forward many valuable thoughts on the royal family education theory.These thoughts are mainly reflected in the 12 articles "Emperor Fan" written by him and books edited by Wu Jing. (1) Respect teachers and pay attention to education.Emperor Taizong of Tang believed that cultivating royal descendants was a major national event.Respecting teachers and emphasizing education are two important conditions that complement each other in order to do a good job in imperial education.The so-called respecting teachers includes two aspects, that is, the position of the third teacher of the prince must be held by a highly respected minister of the court, and at the same time, the etiquette of respecting teachers must be established.Tang Taizong once selected Wang Gui, Minister of Rites, as Wei Wangtai's teacher, and later worshiped the highly respected Wei Zheng as the prince's teacher.In April of the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643 A.D.), the imperial edict wrote the "Notes on the Ritual of the Three Masters", stipulating that the prince should go out of the palace gate to receive the third master, and pay homage to the third master first, and then enter the gate of the palace after the third master has paid his respects.When the three divisions entered the east palace gate, the prince had to let the three divisions enter first.After the three masters sat down, the prince dared to take his seat.When the prince wrote a letter asking for advice from the three masters, he had to write "fear" at the front and "worship again with fear" at the end.Tang Taizong worshiped Li Gang as the prince's teacher. Because Li Gang was old and had foot problems, he gave Li Gang a sedan chair and step, ordered the guards of the East Palace to lift him into the palace, and ordered the prince to lead the teacher to the hall to worship.Tang Taizong believed that if the three teachers were not revered, they would not be respected by the crown prince; if they did not respect the teachers, they would not pay attention to teacher teaching, and teaching would not be effective.

(2) Since ancient times, all sages and kings have studied.In the sixth year of Zhenguan (AD 632), Emperor Taizong of Tang said in an imperial edict: "I have recently studied classics and history. Since ancient times, Ming kings and emperors have never been created by their masters. From Lutu, Yao learned from Yin Shou, Shun learned from Wu Chengzhao, Yu learned from the Western Kingdom, Tang learned from Qi Zibo, Wen Wang learned from Ziqi, and Wu Wang learned from Uncle Guo. If the sage kings of the previous dynasties did not meet these Teacher, how can there be meritorious deeds that are outstanding in the world, and reputation that is passed down in the annals of history? Besides, I continue the legacy of hundreds of kings, and my wisdom is different from that of a sage. "Less" system to strengthen the education of the emperor himself and the royal descendants.

(3) Carefully choose enlightened masters and be good at saving the lost.Tang Taizong once said to his ministers: "Unless they are born sages, most people change from teaching. Besides, it is difficult to choose a prince's master in ancient times. Cheng Wang was young, and Zhou Gong and Zhao Gong were the guardians. There are sages on the left and right, and they are famous every day. Only by training can we grow benevolence and benefit virtue, and make him a holy king. Hu Hai of the Qin Dynasty, because Zhao Gao was a tutor, taught criminal law, and his heirs, punished heroes and relatives, and died one after another. From this we can see that people The formation of the virtues of good and evil is due to the teaching and influence of people who are close to you. Today, I select masters for the prince and the kings, and we must examine their etiquette and morality, so that the teachings of the masters are beneficial to the prince and the kings. "Zhenguan Political Leaders Respecting the Master") He also believes that since ancient times, emperors and princes and grandchildren, who were born in the deep palace, did not know the sufferings of the people, and as adults, there is no one who is not arrogant, so overturns follow one after another, and few can help themselves.Therefore, "strict education" must be implemented for the royal children.In addition, it is necessary to let them know that food and clothing are hard to come by, and that farming is difficult, and all of them are labor-intensive, so that when they grow up, they can consciously overcome the disease of arrogance and arrogance, and not take away the time for farming.Tang Taizong personally taught the prince and the princes, often using things as metaphors.Like riding a boat, he warned the prince: "The reason why the boat is better than the ruler of the people, and the reason why the water is better than the nobles. The water can carry the boat, and it can also overturn it. If you are the master of the people, don't you be afraid?" Such education aims to let the prince understand the society, understand the truth, learn the knowledge and skills necessary to govern the country, and be a good ruler.